RT Journal Article T1 Astrocytic Ca2+ activation by chemogenetics mitigates the effect of kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity on the hippocampus A1 Hernández Martín, Nira A1 Gómez Martínez, María A1 Bascuñana, Pablo A1 Fernández de La Rosa, Rubén A1 García García, Luis A1 Gómez Oliver, Francisca A1 Solas, Maite A1 Martín, Eduardo Daniel A1 Pozo García, Miguel Ángel AB Astrocytes play a multifaceted role regulating brain glucose metabolism, ion homeostasis, neurotransmitters clearance, and water dynamics being essential in supporting synaptic function. Under different pathological conditions such as brain stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders, excitotoxicity plays a crucial role, however, the contribution of astrocytic activity in protecting neurons from excitotoxicity-induced damage is yet to be fully understood. In this work, we evaluated the effect of astrocytic activation by Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) on brain glucose metabolism in wild-type (WT) mice, and we investigated the effects of sustained astrocyte activation following an insult induced by intrahippocampal (iHPC) kainic acid (KA) injection using 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, along with behavioral test, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and histochemistry. Astrocytic Ca2+ activation increased the 18F-FDG uptake, but this effect was not found when the study was performed in knock out mice for type-2 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (Ip3r2-/-) nor in floxed mice to abolish glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) expression in hippocampal astrocytes (GLUT1ΔGFAP). Sustained astrocyte activation after KA injection reversed the brain glucose hypometabolism, restored hippocampal function, prevented neuronal death, and increased hippocampal GABA levels. The findings of our study indicate that astrocytic GLUT1 function is crucial for regulating brain glucose metabolism. Astrocytic Ca2+ activation has been shown to promote adaptive changes that significantly contribute to mitigating the effects of KA-induced damage. This evidence suggests a protective role of activated astrocytes against KA-induced excitotoxicity. PB Wiley SN 0894-1491 YR 2024 FD 2024-08-26 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110051 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/110051 LA eng NO Hernández-Martín, N., Martínez, M. G., Bascuñana, P., Fernández de la Rosa, R., García-García, L., Gómez, F., Solas, M., Martín, E. D., & Pozo, M. A. (2024). Astrocytic Ca2+ activation by chemogenetics mitigates the effect of kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity on the hippocampus. Glia, 72(12), 2217–2230. https://doi.org/10. 1002/glia.24607 NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España) DS Docta Complutense RD 23 abr 2025